Taking its cue from recent shifts in Denver’s creative landscape, with new artist-run spaces opening and the closing of a number of well-respected venues, this symposium addresses the various trajectories of artist-run spaces alongside their evolving communities. Representatives from spaces across the US, including Regina Rex (New York, NY), Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Chicago, IL, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Los Angeles, CA), and Good Weather (North Little Rock, AR), will share insights about the challenges,opportunities, and motivations for running their own DIY exhibition spaces. The symposium will also touch on contemporary artistic practices, sociopolitical contexts, and theoretical legacies that shape and animate how these spaces function within the wider contemporary art scene.

The symposium will begin with a formal panel discussion at BCHQ on Wednesday, January 17th from (6-8pm) and continue with regular “office hours” held at local bar/restaurant Sputnik during happy hour from 4-6pm on Thursday, January 18th, and Friday, January 19th. The discussion and “office hours” will be open to anyone interested in informal and vital dialog. The symposium will close with a participatory conversation, with a subject to be determined, during the earlier discussions on January 20th from 7-10pm at a Leisure Gallery.